Walking Among Ancient Giants: Preserving the Riches of Dinosaur Provincial Park
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Walking Among Ancient Giants: Preserving the Riches of Dinosaur Provincial Park By Andrea Johancsik, AWA Conservation Specialist n the distance, a child cries out: ment in North America, they’re only acces- served them for fossiliza- “I found a bone! I found a bone!” sible where erosion has swept away some tion. Unique chemical conditions in surface I I catch myself thinking that our surface rock. Alberta’s environment in the water slowly transformed once-living ma- young visitor to Dinosaur Provincial Park late Cretaceous (145.5 to 65.5 million years terial into rock. Millions of years later after instead probably found a piece of bone- ago) was more like Vancouver’s wet temper- the last ice age and long after the terrestri- shaped sandstone. I’m guiding two dozen ate forest, full of braided streams and rich al dinosaur extinction, continental glaciers people through the park and I’m trying in vegetation. When the creatures died from retreated and uncovered late Cretaceous to listen in all directions to manage my the dog-eat-do—er... dinosaur-eat-dinosaur sedimentary rock. Now, the Red Deer Riv- tour. I hastily postpone trying to explain world, some were quickly buried in wet, er Valley opens a window into that geologic 76 million years of local geological history oxygen-free sediment where their bodies time by revealing fossils from dinosaurs and to a very curious parent in three sentenc- were not eaten or decomposed; this pre- other creatures. es or less – not an easy task. “I’ll be right As I suspected, my young guest found back I say apologetically as more screams only an oddly shaped piece of sandstone. echo in the sandstone valley. “ANDREA!” But on a tour at Dinosaur Provincial Park, “Com’ere!” “I found a bone!” it would only be a matter of minutes before Dinosaurs spark our imaginations and di- I would run over and respond, “yes, that’s nosaur fossils are one of the most exciting a fossil!” discoveries for children and adults alike. During my summer as an interpreter, I Protecting an unparalleled was able to live that excitement every day fossil resource through guided tours. The history of dino- Interpreters at Dinosaur Provincial Park saurs also reminds us of the precariousness have the privilege and challenge to show of life. As we piece together stories about this unique resource to tours of up to 24 the rise and fall of dinosaurs, we should re- people. Visitors take a bus into the ‘Natural flect on the story we are writing and leaving Preserve,’ a large area open only to guided for future generations to discover. A commonly found fossil in Dinosaur Provincial Park tours, staff, park rangers, and paleontologi- Though fossils are abundant across sedi- PHOTO: © C. JOHANCSIK cal excursions. I was lucky enough to attend Overlooking the Red Deer River from the coulee edge near the entrance to Dinosaur Provincial Park. Staff housing in on the shoreline.PHOTO: © A. JOHANCSIK 44 WLA | June 2016 | Vol. 24, No. 3 | FEATURES one such excursion with a paleontology stu- motivation for protecting most of Dinosaur would cause rapid erosion of the fossils and dent and a couple other parks staff. Walking Park came as visitation increased and it re- hoodoos. Everything about this area is frag- through the Natural Preserve, we found a ceived a World Heritage Site designation in ile, even the grassland areas. On one of the micro-site (a concentration of small fossils 1979. Jarrid Jenkins, Visitor Services Pro- tours, I showed my guests a wagon trail still such as teeth and fish scales) that had never gram Head in the Parks Division at Dino- imprinted in the native grass that was made been documented. saur Provincial Park, remembers the days by settlers or explorers over 100 years ago. Zoning is a management technique used when people could wander anywhere they Most were shocked that a simple wagon in numerous parks across Canada and wanted. “My grandparents used to take vis- trail could have such a long-lasting impact around the world. It restricts certain uses itors down to the badlands to have picnics on the landscape. in order to protect spiritual, ecological, geo- at the clam beds,” he says, referring to areas logical, or historical values. Dinosaur Park’s of layered fossil clam shells that now can’t Without people, what Natural Preserve is an example of zoning. even be accessed on guided tours. “People happens? Another example of zoning in Alberta pro- remember the ‘good old days,’ when they Alberta’s Provincial Parks Act and Historical vincial parks is found in Writing-on-Stone could walk around and explore and bring Resources Act provide the legal mechanisms Provincial Park on the Milk River in south- fossils home with them, but there were also to restrict access in the Natural Preserve. In ern Alberta. Writing-on-Stone has a large many less visitors then.” Now, Dinosaur addition to protecting fossils there are oth- restricted area known as an ‘Archeological Park welcomes 100,000 visitors through its er benefits to Dinosaur Park’s Natural Pre- Preserve.’ A large concentration of very gates each year, many of whom are interna- serve. According to Jenkins, public safety fragile ancient petroglyphs (rock carvings) tional travelers checking off a box on their is a major consideration. Anyone accessing and pictographs (rock paintings) are found World Heritage Site bucket list. the preserve must bring a radio for safety there. Sadly, vandalism from the time of the In Dinosaur Park, any constant wear on reasons, as there is no cellphone service. earliest European settlers through to the the ground, whether caused by hundreds of The harsh badlands environment poses a mid-1900s destroyed or damaged much of human footprints or motorized recreation, variety of potential threats or dangers, in- the rock art before the Preserve was estab- cluding lack of water, sinkholes, crumbling lished. In Canada’s National Parks, zoned slopes, and cactus. For the unprepared, the areas that receive the highest level of pro- preserve can be a disaster in the waiting – tection are usually small and localized to and there are park legends to prove it. safeguard a particular feature, such as the The Natural Preserve also provides ecolog- Cave and Basin Marsh in Banff National ical benefits, such as letting coyotes, snakes, Park. Large areas that exclude people entire- and migratory birds live free from human ly, such as Dinosaur Park’s Natural Preserve, interference. For researchers, this intact are rare. The main reason for the Natural and representative ecosystem is perfect for Preserve is to protect the fossil resource, as studying bats, rattlesnakes, and other poor- fossils in Dinosaur Park are fragile and can ly understood wildlife. The river valley’s crumble under a single footstep. extensive riparian areas provide essential Crumbling fossils aren’t the problem in habitat for species like beaver, moose, and and of themselves. After all, paleontologists threatened/at-risk birds such as ferruginous can only find fossils once they’re already hawk, short-eared owl, and Sprague’s pipit exposed and beginning to weather. The Wagon Trail PHOTO: © D. LLOYD while the badlands are home to scorpions WLA | June 2016 | Vol. 24, No. 3 | FEATURES A5 Public access to Dinosaur Provincial Park’s Natural Preserve area generally is restricted. PHOTO: © A. JOHANCSIK and cactus, found in very few places in Can- may place more value on restricted areas be- known is one that has a world-class visitor ada. cause it becomes a privilege to enter them. centre and display houses, but it still has Educating children about parks is also This can help tourism boom while keeping the charm of a back-country destination. easy when the distinction between protect- ecological and historical values intact. Dinosaur’s best chance of staying authentic ed and non-protected areas is so obvious. On balance I hope most people realize is to recognize the reason why people come: School groups go on a guided tour in the that since Dinosaur Provincial Park has fragile fossils, delicate wildlife habitat, and public area and then travel by bus to the so many unique features, and because the constantly weathering rocks. Showing this Natural Preserve. The difference in abun- ‘badlands’ are difficult to live in, the current sensitive environment to people is import- dance of fossils between the two places is level of restricted access should be main- ant, so long as accessing it doesn’t compro- dramatic. It’s easy to understand why: fos- tained. It’s important to recognize that pro- mise its integrity. Incorporating a Natural sils in the campgrounds and publicly acces- tection doesn’t mean absolute exclusion or Preserve in Dinosaur Park is crucial to mak- sible badlands have been trampled, pock- expulsion; rather, it means exclusion of cer- ing the park a great example of successful eted, or simply eroded by visitors. “Kids see tain uses and limitations of how much use ecotourism, with benefits for environment, huge fossils and micro-sites [in the Natural is allowed. E.O. Wilson, one of the world’s the economy, and the people. Preserve] that they wouldn’t see anywhere most renowned evolutionary biologists, The Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinc- else,” says Jenkins. “It demonstrates why we suggests in his recent book Half Earth that tion that is known for the death of the dino- have parks, which is preserving resources 50 percent of the world’s surface must be saurs was the fifth mass extinction in earth’s for the future. Going into the protected area protected in order to save the planet from, history.